Senior Political Affairs Officer, P-5

Position description

Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is based in New York and will support the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General (OSESG) on Myanmar. The Office of the Special Envoy supports the implementation of the Secretary-General’s good offices General Assembly mandate on Myanmar. Under the overall direction of the Special Envoy, the incumbent will report to the Head of OSESG and, on a day to day basis, also to the Director of the Asia and the Pacific Division in the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs.

Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the Special Envoy and the direct supervision of the Head of Office, the Senior Political Affairs Officer will be responsible for the following duties:

• Formulates political affairs strategies; develops a vision or direction for work; proposes policy directives and plan of action for immediate and long range solutions to Myanmar political problems in general and in specific geographical areas; identifies emerging issues pertaining to the mandates of the office; analyses implications and provides advice and recommendations to UN senior officials on possible strategies and measures, while ensuring such advice is based on consultations/inputs from concerned colleagues and external parties, including women’s activists/representatives, as needed, and ensures consistent backstopping of the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Myanmar, including regular interaction between the Office and Permanent Missions in New York, counterparts in DPPA, other UN Departments, Offices, Agencies, Funds and Programmes based at New York Headquarters including but not limited to UNHCR, OHCHR, OCHA, UNDP and OLA, and the Office of the Resident Coordinator (RCO) in Myanmar;
• Plans and implements the operational activities related to the work of the division/department, i.e., peacekeeping, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, conflict prevention and resolution, post-conflict rehabilitation, election administration, political and governance institution-building, civil society support work, etc.; incorporates an integrated approach that includes a rights-based dimension, conflict prevention sensitivity, and a gender perspective into the policy, planning and operational activities of the unit.
• Plans, coordinates and manages programmes, projects and activities requiring interdepartmental and/or interagency involvement and participation.
• Prepares briefing notes and talking points for the Secretary-General, UN Special Envoy and other senior officials.
• Coordinates and directs the provision of Secretariat services and supports the day-to-day work of DPPA’s Asia-Pacific Division (APD) at Headquarters on Myanmar and relevant matters.
• Supports DPPA chairing of the internal coordination mechanisms on Myanmar; maintains regular contact with relevant UN entities at the working level in support of a systemwide coherent approach to Myanmar;
• Leads and directs research and brainstorming events on a variety of political issues in Myanmar and the region, including in cooperation with think tanks and research institutes and, to this end, maintains liaison with academia, research institutes/think tanks, foundations, human rights watchdogs and other civil society representatives, including representatives of religious communities;
• Represents division/office/mission at round tables, seminars and conferences.
• Responds to/prepares responses to comments, statements, queries of parties and manages operations involving several components, including civilian, military and humanitarian operations.
• Formulates the programme of work, budget and medium-term plan of the unit and participates in the overall approval of the programme of work, and administrative matters concerning the office; coordinates and oversees work of colleagues and unit.
• Develops and maintains relations with senior government officials and advises them on issues and policies of mutual concern.
• Performs other related duties as required.

Competencies

• Professionalism: Knowledge of the work of intergovernmental bodies, the work of the United Nations and its related bodies concerned with political, economic, social and related matters. Ability to evaluate international political situations in area of assignment. Ability to manage and coordinate many different levels and participants in operations in both the field and UN common system. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations;
• Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed;
• Accountability: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.

Managerial Competencies

• Managing Performance: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority; makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member; accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills; monitors progress against milestones and deadlines; regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff; encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative; actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff; appraises performance fairly;
• Judgement/Decision-making: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.

Education

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) degree in political science, international relations, international economics, law, public administration, or related field. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

• A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in political science, international relations, law, disarmament, security, development management, conflict resolution or related area is required;
• Experience in preparing reports and making recommendations to high-level officials or senior management is required;
• Experience in coordinating inter-agency processes is required;
• Experience working on mandates of peace and security, human rights, humanitarian, and development entities is required;
• Experience supporting good offices or mediation efforts as part of a political process is required;
• Experience working on peace and security issues in/on Myanmar is required;
• Experience working in a conflict or post-conflict setting on peacebuilding, reconstruction or demining/unexploded ordinances is desirable;
• Experience with UN budgetary policies, financial regulations and with the operations of the intergovernmental and legislative machinery is desirable.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the UN Secretariat. For this post, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.

Application instructions

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